Systems and methods for providing offers using a mobile device

ABSTRACT

A wireless device is enabled to provide offers. The wireless device receives card data for a financial account card and stores the card data in a memory associated with the wireless device. Responsive to using the card data in a transaction at a first merchant location, the wireless device receives transaction line-item data from a computing system associated with the first merchant location. The wireless device determines merchant information for a second merchant location and determines an offer associated with the second merchant location based on the line-item data and the merchant information for the second merchant. The wireless device presents the offer when the wireless device is near the second merchant location.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of, and claims the benefit ofpriority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/373,213, filed Dec. 8,2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/231,746 (now allowed), filed Aug. 8, 2016, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application No. 14/492,883 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,412,118),filed Sep. 22, 2014. The disclosures of the above-referencedapplications are expressly incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

BACKGROUND

In a conventional credit card transaction, a credit card holder presentsa financial account card, such as a credit card or debit card, to amerchant. The merchant typically swipes a magnetic stripe on the cardthrough a card reader that is built into or attached to a point-of-sale(POS) terminal. The magnetic stripe generally includes accountinformation, such as an account number of the card, an identity of thecard holder, and an expiration date of the card. Once the merchant hasswiped the card through the card reader, the account information istransmitted to the POS terminal. Alternatively, instead of the merchantswiping the card, the credit card holder may personally swipe the cardat a self-service check out station or may insert the card into a cardreader built into, for example, a gasoline pump. Once the card readerhas read the card data, the card data is transmitted over a securenetwork, authenticated, and ultimately used to authorize a transaction.In any of these kinds of transactions, however, the credit card must bephysically read by a magnetic stripe reader in order to obtain the carddata that is stored on the magnetic stripe.

As the prevalence of wireless devices continues to increase, new methodsof storing and transmitting credit card data have begun to emerge. Onesuch example is to use RFID (radio frequency identification) tags fortransmitting payment information. RFID tags are microchips, someversions of which may store and encrypt data. Others may receive andtransmit data from a processor. An RFID tag acts as a transponder and iscapable of transmitting a radio frequency signal when the RFID tagreceives a query radio signal from another device. Typically, the otherdevice is an RFID reader that sends a query signal requesting a nearbyRFID tag to transmit data to the RFID reader. When the RFID tag receivesthe query signal, the RFID tag may be powered into an “on” state.Alternatively, the RFID tag may have its own independent power supply.In either case, when an RFID tag receives a query radio signal, the RFIDtag may respond by transmitting data to the reader up to a distance of aseveral inches or feet away, depending upon the power capabilities ofthe RFID tag.

In recent years, RFID tags have been incorporated in wireless devices,such as cellular phones. In addition to cellular phones, other wirelessdevices, such as PDAs, for example, are also being equipped with RFIDtags. There are many possibilities regarding the kinds of informationthat an RFID tag may store and transmit. One type of information that anRFID tag may transmit is card data that provides payment information fora transaction. For example, a transaction may involve providinginformation for an account, such as a credit card account. In theexample of a cellular phone, the card data may be securely transmittedusing encryption techniques to an RFID reader when the cellular phone isplaced in close proximity to the RFID reader. Accordingly, a cellularphone storing credit card data in an RFID tag or in a memory accessibleby an RFID tag may be used as a payment device without requiring theactual credit card to be swiped by a magnetic card reader. Some wirelessdevices may also transmit information wirelessly using other technologysuch as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, near field communication (NFC), and cellulartechnologies such as CDMA, TDMA, LTE, GSM, for example.

SUMMARY

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, a method is provided forproviding offers using a mobile device. The method includes receivingcard data for a financial account card and storing the card data in amemory associated with a wireless device. Responsive to using the carddata in a transaction at a first merchant location, the method alsoincludes receiving transaction line-item data from a merchant computingsystem associated with the first merchant location. The method furtherincludes determining merchant information for a second merchant locationand determining an offer associated with the second merchant locationbased on the line-item data and the merchant information for the secondmerchant. Then, the method presents the offer when the wireless deviceis near the second merchant location.

Also, consistent with disclosed embodiments, a wireless device isdescribed that provides offers. The wireless device receives card datafor a financial account card and stores the card data in a memoryassociated with the wireless device. Responsive to using the card datain a transaction at a first merchant location, the wireless devicereceives transaction line-item data from a computing system associatedwith the first merchant location. The wireless device determinesmerchant information for a second merchant location and determines anoffer associated with the second merchant location based on theline-item data and the merchant information for the second merchant. Thewireless device presents the offer when the wireless device is near thesecond merchant location.

Further, a non-transitory computer readable medium is disclosed thatstores instructions that cause one or more processors to performoperations. The operations include receiving card data for a financialaccount card and storing the card data in a memory associated with awireless device. Responsive to using the card data in a transaction at afirst merchant location, the operations also include receivingtransaction line-item data from a merchant computing system associatedwith the first merchant location. The operations further includedetermining merchant information for a second merchant location anddetermining an offer associated with the second merchant location basedon the line-item data and the merchant information for the secondmerchant. Then, the offer is presented when the wireless device is nearthe second merchant location.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not intended as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with thedisclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows exemplary computing systems connected via a network thatcan be configured to perform the operations of disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of the components of a wirelessdevice;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flow diagram of a process for providing offers;

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary wireless device including a card slot forinserting a financial account card;

FIG. 5 shows an example of a financial account card being inserted intothe card slot of the wireless device shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram showing the interaction between awireless device and a POS terminal;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary menu of stored cards that is shown on a displayof a wireless device; and,

FIG. 8 is an exemplary flow diagram of a process for selecting a card toprovide a payment for a purchase made using a wireless device.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The use of wireless devices such as cellular phones provides a moreinteractive transaction experience than what is capable using atraditional financial account card with a magnetic stripe. As wirelessdevices include processors and memory and components for wirelesscommunication with other computer systems, they can be configured tocommunicate with one or more merchant systems during a transaction. Forexample, during a transaction, a wireless device can receive informationabout the transaction, such as line-item transaction data describing thegoods or services that are part of the transaction, or information aboutthe merchant itself, such as the merchant's Merchant Category Code(MCC), name, address, or other descriptive information.

The ability for the wireless device and the merchant computing system,such as POS terminal, to communicate provides opportunity to offerincentives to consumers based on past purchases. For example, if thewireless device receives information about past transactions, it canprovide offers to the user of the wireless device to enter intotransactions for complimentary goods or services. As transactioninformation can be obtained across many merchants, there is increasedopportunity to provide offers to a consumer based on their past purchasehistory. Further, as merchant computing systems can provide informationto wireless devices that identify the merchant, or the category of goodsor services the merchant provides, the wireless device can identify oneor more offers that match the merchant.

Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein describe a system wherepast line-item data from a transaction at a first merchant location canbe used to provide an offer to a consumer that can be redeemed at asecond merchant location. As used herein, the term merchant location canrefer to unique merchants which are owned and operated by separatebusiness entities. For example, a first merchant location can representa particular establishment (e.g., Home Depot®), and the second merchantlocation can represent a second establishment (e.g., Lowe's®). The termmerchant location can also refer to different physical locations whichare owned and operated by the same merchant or business entity. Forexample, a first merchant location can represent Home Depot® ofPeachtree City, Ga. and the second merchant location can represent HomeDepot® of Alpharetta, Ga.

As a non-limiting example, one embodiment of the present disclosure isdescribed in operation below. A consumer may have a wireless device suchas a mobile phone that the consumer would like to use as an electronicwallet. The consumer can configure the wireless device as an electronicwallet by downloading one or more applications that allow the consumerto store card data for the consumer's financial account cards in amemory associated with the wireless device. Once the application hasbeen downloaded, the consumer can load the card data into the wirelessdevice and can subsequently use the card data for purchases. When theconsumer uses the card data at a first merchant location, such as HomeDepot®, a POS terminal at the first merchant location provides anelectronic receipt to the wireless device. The wireless device canobtain line-item data such as the stock keeping unit (SKU) numbers ofthe products purchased in the transaction. The wireless device may thenreceive an offer for a discount at Lowe's, a second merchant location,for a complementary product to the product that was purchased at HomeDepot®. The wireless device may compare the received offer with theline-item data and determine that the offer applies to the user of thewireless device. The wireless device can generate an alert informing theuser of the offer. The wireless device may present the alert when itreceives the offer, or it can present the alert when it determines theuser is close to a Lowe's® location to provide an incentive for the userto enter the Lowe's® location and make a purchase.

Reference will now be made to exemplary embodiments, examples of whichare illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, thesame reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer tothe same or like parts.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary networked system 100 wherea wireless device can communicate with one or more remote computingsystems to perform operations consistent with the disclosed embodiments.In one embodiment, system 100 can include wireless device 105, one ormore financial data system(s) 101, one or more rewards data system(s)102, one or more merchant location system(s) 103, a network 109, and atleast a first merchant system 104 and a second merchant system 106. Thecomponents and arrangement of the components included in system 100 canvary. Thus, system 100 can include fewer or additional components thatperform or assist in the performance of one or more processes consistentwith the disclosed embodiments.

In some embodiments, components of system 100 can include one or morecomputing devices (e.g., computer(s), server(s), etc.), memory storingdata and/or software instructions (e.g., database(s), memory devices,etc.), and other known computing components. The one or more computingdevices can include one or more processors that can be configured toexecute software instructions stored on one or more memory devices toperform one or more operations consistent with the disclosedembodiments. Components of system 100 can be configured to communicatewith one or more other components of system 100 via network 109, ordirectly with each other via direct communication means. For example,wireless device 105 can communicate with first merchant system 104 andsecond merchant system 106 via direct communication link 107 which caninclude, near field communication (NFC), RFID, WiFi, Bluetooth, LiFi,communication or any other wireless communication protocol known in theart.

Financial data system(s) 101 can be a system or systems associated withfinancial service providers. Financial services providers can be abusiness entity that provides financial account cards to consumers suchas a bank, credit card issuer, or other entity that generates, provides,manages, and/or maintains financial service accounts for one or moreusers. Financial data system(s) 101 can generate, maintain, store,provide, and/or process financial data associated with one or morefinancial account cards. Financial data can include information aboutfinancial accounts including, but not limited to, issuing financialinstitution, card holder name, card holder address, account balance,available credit, existing fees, card expiration dates, and accounttransaction data (e.g., transaction dates, transaction amounts,transaction types, location of transaction, etc.).

In some embodiments, financial data system(s) 101 can provide accountinformation to requesting computing systems, such as wireless device105, for example. Financial data system(s) 101 can expose, in someembodiments, an application programming interface (API) that providesone or more methods for obtaining account information to requestingcomputing systems. For example, a requesting computing system (such aswireless device 105) can provide financial data system(s) 101 with anfinancial card account number via the API, and financial data system(s)101 can provide the requesting computing system with the name, address,expiration date, issuing bank, or other information associated with thefinancial card account number. The account information can be providedas a binary data stream, serialized data object, XML object, or in someother data form known to those with skill in the art.

Offers data system(s) 102 can be one or more computing systemsassociated with one or more offer providers. An offer provider can be anentity that offers promotional items designed to entice a consumer topurchase an item from a merchant. Offers data system(s) 102 can include,in some embodiments, one or more data stores or databases that link aproduct identifier, such as stock keeping unit (SKU) number or inventorynumber of one merchant to complimentary product offer for the same, ordifferent merchant. For example, offer data system(s) 102 may include adatabase or datastore that links the SKU number of a tent purchased fromBig Tent Store to an offer for 35% off a tarp from Big Tent Store, anoffer to purchase the same tent from Outdoor Depot 25% off, or an offerto purchase the tarp from Outdoor Depot for 50%. In some embodiments,offer data system(s) 102 can include a database or datastore that linksa merchant identifier, such as a name, address, Merchant Category Code(MCC) or other merchant classifier to one or more offers. For example,offer data system(s) 102 may include a database or datastore that linksthe name “Big Tent Store” with an offer to purchase a sleeping bag for$50, or that links the MCC for “Sporting Goods Stores” (e.g., 5941) toan offer to purchase a backpack from Outdoor Depot for $65. According tosome embodiments, offers data system(s) 102 can include a database ordatastore that links a location with an offer. For example, offer datasystem(s) 102 can link a GPS coordinate with an offer to receive a freedrink with a meal purchase at a restaurant. The offers stored by offersdata system(s) 102 can be linked to more than one criterion. Forexample, offer data system(s) 102 may include a database or datastorethat links a MCC and location to an offer to purchase an item from amerchant that has a store at that location and that matches the MCC. Insome embodiments, offers data system(s) 102 can expose an API thatprovides one or more methods for providing offer information to arequesting computing system. For example, a requesting computing system(such as wireless device 105) can provide offer data system(s) 102 withany combination of a product identifier, merchant identifier, MCC, orlocation, via the API and offers data system(s) 102 can provide therequesting computer system with one or more offers that satisfy theprovided information.

According to some embodiments, merchant location system(s) 103 can be acomputing system that provides merchant information based on a givenlocation. In some embodiments, merchant location system(s) 103 can becapable of mapping geolocation data (e.g., GPS data) to merchants orMCCs. For example, merchant location system 103 can expose an API thatprovides one or more methods for providing merchant information torequesting computing systems. For example, a requesting computing system(such as wireless device 105) may send a request, via the API, tomerchant location system(s) 103 including its current location andmerchant location system(s) 103 may provide the MCC for the closestmerchant, or the name, address, or other information concerning theclosest merchant.

First merchant system 104 may comprise one or more computing devicesconfigured to perform one or more operations consistent with disclosedembodiments. For example, first merchant system 104 can be a computingdevice that is controlled and operated by a merchant that providesproducts (e.g., goods and/or services), such as a restaurant (e.g.,Outback Steakhouse®, Burger King®, etc.), retailer (e.g., Amazon.com®,Target®, etc.), grocery store, service provider (e.g., utility company,insurance company, financial service provider, automobile repairservices, etc.), non-profit organization (ACLU™, AARP®, etc.) or anyother type of entity that provides goods, services, and/or informationthat consumers (i.e., end-users or other business entities) canpurchase, consume, use, etc. For ease of discussion, the presentdisclosure may describe exemplary embodiments in the context of purchasetransactions involving goods from retail merchants, but first merchantsystem 104 is not limited to systems associated with retail merchantsthat conduct business in any particular industry or field. According tosome embodiments, first merchant system 104 can be a mobile device(e.g., tablet, smart phone, etc.), a desktop computer, a laptop, aserver or any other type of computing device. First merchant system 104can also include a television, e-reader, or any other type of devicecapable of communicating with other components of system 100.

First merchant system 104 can include a POS terminal, which can be adedicated POS terminal (e.g., POS Terminal 630 of FIG. 4, below), or asoftware application that can configure a general purpose computingdevice to accept financial account card payments. For example, thepayment application can configure the general purpose computing deviceto interface with an input device connected to the general purposecomputing system. The input device can include a terminal or port thataccepts data financial account card data from wireless device 105.

In some embodiments, first merchant system 104 can provide line-itemdata describing the items that are included in a given transaction. Forexample, if wireless device 105 is used to engage in a transaction withfirst merchant system 104, first merchant system 104 may provide anelectronic receipt to wireless device 105. The electronic receipt couldbe in a standard data format such as a text file, PDF file, image file,or in another data format specific to packaging and transmittingline-item transaction data.

In some embodiments, system 100 can also include second merchant system106. Second merchant system 106 can be one or more computing devicesconfigured to perform one or more operations consistent with disclosedembodiments in a manner similar to that described above with respect tofirst merchant system 104. As used herein, second merchant system 106can be a computing system associated with the entity that controls andoperates first merchant system 104, but a different location. Forexample, first merchant system 104 can be a system associated with a BigSupermarket merchant location in Roswell, Ga. and second merchant system106 can be a system associated with a Big Supermarket merchant locationin Atlanta, Ga. In some embodiments, second merchant system 106 can be acomputing system associated with a different entity than the entity thatcontrols and operates first merchant computing system 104. For example,first merchant system 104 can be controlled and operated by Big TentStore and second merchant system 106 can be controlled and operated byOutdoor Depot.

System 100 can also include, in some embodiments, wireless device 105.Wireless device 105 can be any consumer device configured for wirelesscommunications consistent with the embodiments described herein. Forexample, wireless device 105 can include a mobile phone, personaldigital assistant (PDA), tablet computing device, laptop computingdevice, smart card, or any other computing device configured tocommunicate wirelessly with one or more computing systems. In someembodiments, wireless device 105 can be configured to communicatewirelessly using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, and cellular technologies suchas CDMA, TDMA, LTE, GSM, for example.

Network 109 may be any type of network configured to providecommunications between components of system 100. For example, network109 can be any type of network (including infrastructure) that providescommunications, exchanges information, and/or facilitates the exchangeof information, such as the Internet, a Local Area Network, or othersuitable connection(s) that enables the sending and receiving ofinformation between the components of system 100. In other embodiments,one or more components of system 100 can communicate directly throughone or more dedicated communication link(s), such as link 107.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the components of wireless device 105according to one embodiment. For example, wireless device 105 mayinclude a processor 210, a magnetic stripe reader 220, a transmitter230, a memory 240, an RFID chip 250, an RFID writer 260, an input device270, and an image capture device 280. Other components that may beincluded in wireless device 105 include a battery (not shown) forsupplying power to transmitter 230 and RFID chip 250. Furthermore,wireless device 105 may include a sensor (not shown) for detecting thepresence of a card. Still further, wireless device 105 may include asmart card reader (not shown) in addition to, or in place of, magneticstripe reader 220. Wireless device 105 may also include a display, andin some cases a touch sensitive display.

In some embodiments, processor 210 may instruct magnetic stripe reader220 to read card data from a card as it is inserted into wireless device105. Alternatively, a smart card reader included in wireless device 105may read data from the card. Further, card data that has been read froma card may be stored in memory 240 or may be written by RFID writer 260to RFID chip 250. Transmitter 230 may be used in addition to RFID chip250 to transmit card data and/or other data from wireless device 105.For example, transmitter 230 may be used to boost the signal strength ofradio frequency signals sent from wireless device 105.

In some embodiments, card data from a card can be input to wirelessdevice 105 using input device 270. For example, input device 270 caninclude a keypad or touchscreen configured to receive input from a user,and processor 210 may interpret data received by the input device 270 ascard data which is stored in memory 240 or the RFID chip. Wirelessdevice may also capture card data from a card using image capture device280 which can include a camera, optical sensor, infrared sensor or othersensor configured to capture an image. Once an image of a card iscaptured by image capture device 280, processor 210 can store the carddata in memory or write it to RFID Chip 250 using RFID writer 260.

In some embodiments, wireless device 105 can be used to purchase goodsor services in a wireless transaction. During a transaction, a user maymake a secured payment with wireless device 105. In such a transaction,card data stored on wireless device 105 may be transmitted by, forexample, RFID chip 250 to a nearby RFID reader associated with amerchant, such as first merchant system 104 or second merchant system106. As wireless device 105 may be capable of storing card data for oneor more financial account cards, wireless device 105 can also act as anelectronic wallet.

A user of wireless device 105 may also store data for multiple cards byproviding a first card to wireless device 105 so that the device maystore the card data from the first card in memory 240. The user may thenprovide a second card to wireless device 105 which is also stored inmemory 240. After a user has stored card data for more than one card inwireless device 105, the user may select a card from a menu screen shownon a display of wireless device 105, such as the menu screen shown inFIG. 7 and described in further detail below. In some embodiments,wireless device 105 may suggest a stored card or default the selectionof the card on displayed menu based on user preferences, data describingthe transaction for which the card will be used, or based on an offerpresented by wireless device 105 consistent with embodiment disclosedherein.

Wireless device 105 may also include security features that authorize atransaction. For example, a security validation may be required fortransactions to prevent unauthorized use of card data stored in memory240. Further, card data may be encrypted using encryption techniques sothat transmitted card data cannot be intercepted in an accessible form.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary flow diagram of a process 300 for providingoffers to a consumer using a wireless device, such as wireless device105. As described in more detail below, process 300 can be performed bywireless device 105 to present offers to a consumer based on line-itemdata received from a first merchant location (e.g., from first merchantsystem 104) and the location of wireless device 105. The offer may berelated to goods or services available a second merchant location andcould include an incentive to use wireless device 105 to purchase thegoods or services at the second merchant location (e.g., using secondmerchant system 106).

Process 300 begins when wireless device 105 receives card data for oneor more financial account cards (Step 310). In some embodiments,wireless device 105 receives the card data via a card reader that ispart of wireless device 105 or attached as a peripheral to wirelessdevice 105 consistent with present embodiments. According to someembodiments, wireless device 105 receives the card data via one of itsassociated input/output devices such as a touchscreen, keypad, orcamera. For example, a user of wireless device 105 may manually enter anaccount number associated with the financial card, or the user may takea picture of the card with a camera included in or in communication withwireless device 105, and OCR capable software installed on wirelessdevice 105 may extract the card data. In some embodiments, wirelessdevice 105 may communicate with one or more remote computer systems toobtain additional card data that is not stored directly on a financialaccount card. For example, wireless device 105 may communicate with oneor more remote computer systems to obtain the identity of the financialinstitution that issued the financial account card, branding associatedwith the card, the name and address of the account holder of financialaccount card, etc.

In some embodiments, wireless device 105 may receive the card datathrough a dedicated card reader attached to, or part of, wireless device105 as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a back view of an embodiment ofwireless device 105 including a card slot 410 for inserting a card 420and an eject button 412. According to the example shown in FIG. 4,wireless device 105 is preferably a mobile phone. However, wirelessdevice 105 may be a PDA, or other handheld device, such as a Blackberry.Although wireless device 105 shows card slot 410 on the back of thedevice, card slot 410 may be incorporated into any appropriate locationof wireless device 105. Further, card slot 410 may be oriented in anyappropriate direction for receiving card 420. In exemplary embodiments,card slot 410 may include a reader (not shown) for reading card data oncard 420. Further, in some embodiments, wireless device 105 may notinclude card slot 410 and instead can receive card data via inputdevices such as a touchscreen, keypad, or camera. For example, a user ofwireless device 105 may manually enter an account number associated withthe financial card, or the user may take a picture of the card withwireless device's 105 camera, and OCR capable software installed onwireless device 105 may extract the card data.

Card 420 may be a financial account card, such as a credit card, a debitcard, a smart card, an ATM card, or any other card associated with afinancial account and that may be used to make purchase transactions.Card 420 includes, for example, account information such as informationidentifying the card holder, an account number, and expiration date.Further, as shown in FIG. 4, according to the back view of card 420,card 420 includes magnetic stripe 422. In the case of a smart card, card420 will include a smart card chip (not shown), which may be read by asmart card reader included in wireless device 105 in addition to, orinstead of, a reader to read magnetic stripe 422.

According to some embodiments, once card 420 is inserted into wirelessdevice 105, a mechanism (not shown) may hold card 420 in place such thatit does not fall out of wireless device 105. Furthermore, wirelessdevice 105 may include eject button 408 for removing card 420 fromwireless device 105. For example, when a user desires to remove card 420from wireless device 105, the user may press eject button 408, whichejects card 420 through card slot 410.

FIG. 5 shows card 420 being inserted into card slot 410 of wirelessdevice 105. When card 420 is inserted into card slot 410 of wirelessdevice 105, a magnetic stripe reader (not shown) may read card datastored on magnetic stripe 422. Alternatively, card 420 may include asmart card chip, which may be reader by a smart card reader (not shown)included in wireless device 105. Card data may be stored in a memory ofwireless device 105 (e.g., memory 240) or may be used to program an RFIDchip included in wireless device 105 (e.g. RFID Chip 250).

Returning to FIG. 3, once wireless device 105 receives the card data, itcan store the card data in memory (Step 320) associated with wirelessdevice 105. In some embodiments, wireless device 105 may store the carddata in a local memory (e.g., memory 240), or program a RFID chip ofwireless device 105 (e.g., (e.g. RFID Chip 250). According to someembodiments, wireless device 105 can store the card data in remotememory accessible by wireless device 105. For example, the card data canbe stored via a cloud computing service to a cloud based storage device.

Once the card data is stored, a user of wireless device 105 may use thecard data in a transaction at a first merchant location (Step 330).According to some embodiments, wireless device 105 can be configured tocommunicate with a computing system of a merchant (e.g., first merchantsystem 104, second merchant system 106). The computing system of themerchant may include a POS terminal. FIG. 6 shows one embodiment ofwireless device 105 communicating with POS terminal 630, which may, insome embodiments, be part of a computing system of a merchant (e.g.,first merchant system 104, second merchant system 106). FIG. 6 shows anexemplary diagram 400 of an interaction between wireless device 105, anRFID transceiver 610, and a magnetic stripe reader 620, according tosome embodiments. RFID transceiver 610 and magnetic stripe reader 620may be connected to POS terminal 630, or be part of POS terminal 630.POS terminal 630 receives data from RFID transceiver 410 and/or magneticstripe reader 420 to process a transaction. A merchant may use POSterminal 630 to input data describing a purchase and to verify paymentinformation obtained by RFID transceiver 610 and/or magnetic stripereader 620.

Once POS terminal 630 has received payment information, such as accountinformation for a credit card, POS terminal 630 may transmit the paymentinformation in a secure format over a network (not shown) in a processthat is consistent with a typical purchase transaction, such as thatinvolving a credit card. In such a credit card transaction, for example,once an external server (not shown) verifies and approves the creditcard transaction, authorization for the transaction may be sent over thenetwork to POS terminal 630.

As shown in FIG. 6, wireless device 105 may also transmit card data byradio frequency to RFID reader 610. In such a situation, a user willhold wireless device 105 near RFID transceiver 610 at, for example, thedirection of the merchant or after being prompted by a message shown ona display (not shown) of RFID transceiver 610 requesting the user toprovide payment information. Although FIG. 6 shows POS terminal 630 asincluding RFID transceiver 610 to receive card data from wireless device105 via wireless communication, in other embodiments, POS terminal 630can include additional or alternative readers configured to receivewireless data. For example, POS terminal 630 can include a Bluetooth,WiFi, NFC, RF or other transceiver capable of receiving wirelesscommunications.

In some embodiments, wireless device 105 may have stored in itsassociated memory more than one financial account card requiring aselection of a card for use in a transaction. Accordingly, in someembodiments, wireless device 105 may generate a user interface on itsdisplay to facilitate the selection of stored card data for thetransaction. FIG. 7 shows an exemplary display 700 of wireless device105, which may include a menu 710 of financial cards for which wirelessdevice 105 has stored card data. As shown in FIG. 7, menu 710 mayinclude a list of three cards designated as card 1, card 2, and card 3.Further, card 1 is shown as having been selected by selection box 720.Selection box 720 may be, for example, a highlighted border surroundinga selected item shown on display 700. A user may make a selection frommenu 710 by using input keys (not shown) of wireless device 105, or bytouching display 700. Furthermore, as shown in the exemplary embodimentof FIG. 7, card 1 may also be represented by image 730, which shows agraphical image of a card. Alternatively, card 1 may be selected for usein making a purchase by selecting image 730 using input keys or bytouching display 700. Image 730 may be an image of a credit card, alogo, text, or any graphical image that the user has associated withcard 1.

For example, a user may access menu 710 on wireless device 105. As shownin FIG. 7, menu 710 displays one or more cards that have card datastored in wireless device 105. The user may select a card, such as card1, by using input keys, for example, from menu 710. Alternatively, theuser may select card 1 by selecting image 730. Thereafter, the user mayuse wireless device 105 to make a purchase with card 1. A user maytherefore make selections from menu 710 to select a particular card fora transaction.

In some embodiments, security features, such as authorization, may beused to determine whether a transaction may proceed with a selectedcard. For example, in some embodiments, a security code may be requiredbefore a selected card may be used to make a transaction. When a userselects the card for making a purchase, a prompt may require the user toenter a security code to authorize use of the card data. Once entered,wireless device 105 may determine whether the correct security code hasbeen entered by comparing the entered code with a code stored in memory240 of wireless device 105. For example, the security code may be storedin an encrypted form in wireless device 105. After validating thesecurity code, wireless device authorizes the use of the card data andwireless device 105 transmits the card data from wireless device 105 tothe POS terminal. For example, card data may be transmitted fromwireless device 105 to a nearby RFID reader. The RFID reader may beincluded in and/or connected to a POS terminal, as shown in FIG. 4.Further, the security code may be entered by the user via input keys onwireless device 105. Alternatively, the security code may be entered bythe user at the POS terminal and transmitted over a network to anexternal server for validation. The security code may be a personalidentification number (PIN). In other embodiments, instead of a securitycode, authorization may be provided by a fingerprint, voice print, orretinal scan of the user. Also, in any of the above embodiments, thesecurity code may be received by wireless device 105 or by a POSterminal.

In some embodiments, wireless device 105 may select or recommend carddata for a transaction. FIG. 8 shows an exemplary flow diagram 800 of aprocess for selecting a card for a transaction using wireless device105. In step 810, wireless device 105 may receive from a POS terminalassociated with a merchant (e.g., POS terminal 630), data reflecting atransaction. The data reflecting the transaction can include the MCC ofthe merchant that operates the POS terminal, the line-item data forgoods or services that are part of the transaction, or data indicating afinancial institution affiliated with the merchant. Using the receiveddata reflecting the transaction, wireless device 105 may automaticallyselect a card to provide the payment for the purchase. (Step 820.) Forexample, the selection may be based on rewards benefit informationassociated with the card data, or a user preference stored with the carddata indicating that the card data is to be used for certain purchases.For example, a user might provide a preference to wireless device 105that a card data from a first financial card by used with gas purchasesand card data from a second financial card be used with grocerypurchases. Using the preferences and the received data reflecting thetransaction, wireless data may automatically select or recommend theappropriate card data. Next, wireless device 105 transmits via radiofrequency card data for the selected card to POS terminal 630. (Step830.)

Returning to FIG. 3, during or after the transaction, wireless device105 may receive line-item data for the first merchant location (Step340). The line-item data may be received by wireless device 105 as anelectronic receipt, for example. The line-item data can include a textdescription of the goods or services purchased during the transaction, aSKU number for the goods or services, the price of the goods orservices. The line-item data can also include, in some embodiments, anassociated MCC that is typical of the good or service purchased. Forexample, if the line-item data includes a purchase of a laptop, theline-item data can include the MCC for electronic stores (e.g., 5732).In some embodiments, the line-item data may be associated with the MCCof the merchant at which the transaction associated with the line-itemdata occurred. For example, if a user used wireless device 105 topurchase an item from an auto parts store, all the goods purchased inthe transaction may be associated with MCC 5533 (Automotive Parts andAccessories Stores).

In some embodiments, wireless device 105 will determine merchantinformation for a second merchant location (Step 350). The merchantinformation can include, for example, a MCC for the second merchantlocation, or it could be an identifier for the second merchant locationsuch as, for example, the address of the second merchant location, atext description of the second merchant location, or GPS coordinates forthe second merchant location. According to some embodiments, themerchant information for the second location can be used by wirelessdevice 105 to determine one or more offers (Step 360) to present to auser of wireless device 105, and the merchant information may depend onthe information that a remote computer system, such as offers datasystem 102, would need to provide one or more offers to wireless device105 for later presentation to a user. In some embodiments, offers datasystem 102 may expose an API that provides one or more offers when givena MCC, or offers data system 102 may expose an API that provides one ormore offers when it receives a geographic location. For example, offersdata system 102 may provide an offer for a discount off of a printerwhen provided with a MCC corresponding to an electronics retailer, oroffers data system 102 may provide an offer for a free drink at arestaurant when provided with the address or GPS coordinates of therestaurant.

In some embodiments, merchants may broadcast merchant information usingone or more computing systems at their merchant location. For example, amerchant's POS may be configured to communicate with wireless devicesusing RFID, WiFi, Bluetooth, LiFi, or any other wireless communicationprotocol known in the art, and the POS may continuously broadcast amessage to wireless devices configured to receive the message tocommunicate the merchant information to wireless device 105. In someembodiments, the merchant information includes a MCC that classifies thetype of merchant. According to some embodiments, wireless device 105 mayinclude a lookup table that maps MCCs to merchant types. For example,wireless device 105 may include a lookup table that links the MCC “5411”with “Grocery Stores, Supermarkets” and when wireless device 105receives a 5411 as a MCC for a particular transaction, wireless device105 can use the lookup table to determine that the transaction is takingplace at a grocery store or supermarket.

In some embodiments, wireless device 105 may determine information for asecond merchant location based on its current location (Step 350). Forexample, when wireless device 105 is at the second merchant location, itmay use its current location (e.g., GPS coordinates). According to someaspects, wireless device 105 uses location services to determine themerchant information for the second merchant location. For example,wireless device 105 may communicate with a computer system, such asmerchant location system(s) 103, which is capable of mapping geolocationdata (e.g., GPS data) to merchants or MCCs. When determining secondmerchant information, wireless device 105 may send a request includingthe wireless device's current location to one or more remote computersystems. In response to the request, wireless device 105 may receive aMCC and/or the name for the closest merchant corresponding to thelocation of wireless device 105. Wireless device 105 may use a lookuptable mapping the received MCC to a merchant type which wireless device105 can later use to determine offers (e.g., at Step 360). In someembodiments, wireless device 105 may receive in response to the requestthe merchant type directly from the computer system capable of mappinggeolocation data and in such embodiments, may not use a lookup table.

Once wireless device 105 receives line-item data for a first merchantlocation (e.g., at Step 340) and determines merchant information for asecond merchant location (e.g., at Step 350), wireless device 105 candetermine one or more offers to present to the user (Step 360). Wirelessdevice 105 may determine the offers based on the line-item data, themerchant information, the wireless device's current location, time ofday, or a combination of the line-item data, the merchant information,time of day, and the wireless device's current location, among otherparameters. In some embodiments, wireless device 105 communicates theline-item data, the merchant information, and/or the wireless device'scurrent location to a remote computer system that provides offers (e.g.,offer data system(s) 102) and receives data corresponding to one or moreoffers to present to the user of wireless device 105. For example,wireless device 105 may have line-item data indicating that the user ofwireless device 105 recently purchased a suit, and wireless device 105may have also received merchant information for a second merchantlocation that sells shoes. Wireless device 105 can then communicate theline-item data and the merchant information for the second location tothe offer data system(s) 102, and in response, wireless device 105 mayreceive an offer to buy shoes at a discount.

In some embodiments, the offers received by wireless device 105 (or asdescribed below, determined by wireless device 105) may be for productsthat are complementary to products described in the line-item data.Complementary products can include products of a different type that aretypically purchased with the products described in the line item data,such as, for example, a suit and a pair of shoes as described above. Theoffers can also be determined based on dayparting, where a productoffers are presented to a user of wireless device 105 based on the timeof day. For example, if the line-item data indicates that thetransaction occurred in the evening, the offer may include a discountfor dinner at a restaurant near the current location of wireless device105 or the location of the purchase. In some embodiments, the offer maybe based on dayparting and the type of product purchased. For example, auser may purchase a cup of coffee at a coffee shop in the morning, afterwhich the wireless device can receive (or determine as described below)an offer for a discount to purchase doughnuts at a near-by doughnut shopbased on the purchase of coffee (product type) and the time of day(morning). The complementary product may vary depending on the time ofday, for the same purchased product. For example, if the user purchasedthe coffee at night, the offer might be for a piece of cake at a bakeryas opposed to a doughnut.

In some embodiments, wireless device 105 may determine offers based on alist of available offers that a remote computer system, such as offersdata system(s) 102, provides to it. For example, offers data system(s)may provide data representing offers to wireless device 105 on aperiodic basis such as hourly, daily, or weekly. When wireless device105 receives the offers, it may reference stored line-item data frompast transactions to determine if any of the offers apply. From the listof applicable offers, wireless device 105 may then determine if anyreceived merchant information for a second location applies and thenpresent that offer on wireless device 105 when wireless device 105 is ator near the second merchant location. For example, a user may usewireless device 105 to purchase a tennis racket from a Sports & Stuff.During the purchase transaction, wireless device 105 receives line-itemdata (e.g., the tennis racket's SKU and/or the MCC for Sporting GoodsStores) from the computing system of the merchant where the tennisracket was purchased. After purchasing the tennis racket, offer datasystem(s) 102 may provide a list of offers including an offer for 25%off a television at Big Electronics Store, a buy-one-get-one free offerfor Jitterbug Coffee Shop, and an offer for 50% off a gross of tennisballs from Sports & Stuff. The list of offers may be coded with MCC's orassociated SKUs for complimentary goods or services. Once wirelessdevice 105 receives the list of offers, it may compare the offers to itsstored line-item data and determine a match for the user for the offerto purchase the tennis balls based on the past purchase of the tennisracket.

According to some embodiments, wireless device 105 may present offers assoon as it determines the offers. For example, once wireless device 105receives an offer applicable to the stored line-item data and merchantinformation, it may generate an alert for the user of wireless device105. In some embodiments, it may store the offer in a location queue andwhen wireless device 105 is close to a second merchant location wherethe user can redeem the offer, it may then generate an alert notifyingthe user of the offer. In some embodiments, wireless device 105 maygenerate an initial alert for the user when it receives or determinesthe offer, and a subsequent reminder alert when the user is close to themerchant location where the user can redeem the offer. The foregoingdescriptions have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not exhaustive and do not limit the presentembodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variationsare possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired frompracticing of embodiments. For example, the described implementationincludes software but other embodiments may be implemented as acombination of hardware and software or in hardware alone.

Additionally, although aspects of the present embodiments are describedas being stored in memory, one skilled in the art will appreciate thatthese aspects can also be stored on other types of computer-readablemedia, such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks,or CD-ROM; a carrier wave from the Internet or other propagation medium;or other forms of RAM or ROM.

Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromconsideration of the specification and practice of the embodimentsdisclosed herein. The specification and examples should be considered asexemplary only.

What is claimed is:
 1. A remote offer system, comprising: acommunications interface configured to receive over a communicationnetwork: transaction line item data associated with a first transactioncompleted at a first merchant location by a user associated with awireless device; and information indicating a current location of thewireless device; and a processor configured to execute programmableinstructions to: determine, responsive to receiving, from thecommunications interface, the information indicating the currentlocation of the wireless device, that the current location of thewireless device is within a predetermined distance of a merchantlocation of a second merchant; and identify, based on the transactionline item data and the current location of the wireless device, anapplicable offer associated with the second merchant redeemable in asecond transaction; wherein the communications interface is furtherconfigured to transmit, over the communication network, the applicableoffer to the wireless device within the predetermined distance.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the transaction line item data includes atleast one of an identifier of goods or services purchased in the firsttransaction or a merchant identifier associated with the first merchantlocation.
 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising: an offerdatabase storing a plurality of offers coded with at least one of anidentifier of goods or services redeemable in the offer or a merchantidentifier associated with the offer, wherein the processor isconfigured to communicate with the offer database to identify theapplicable offer.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor isconfigured to identify the applicable offer based on a comparison of theapplicable offer with at least one of (i) the identifier of goods orservices purchased in the first transaction or (ii) the merchantidentifier associated with the first merchant location.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine that thecurrent location of the wireless device is within the predetermineddistance of the location of the second merchant based on merchantinformation received from the wireless device indicating the wirelessdevice is positioned at the location of the second merchant.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising: a location database storinglocation information for a plurality of merchants, wherein the processoris configured to communicate with the location database to determinethat the current location of the wireless device is within apredetermined distance of a merchant location of a second merchant. 7.The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to query thelocation database based on GPS data received from the wireless device todetermine that the current location of the wireless device is within thepredetermined distance of the location of the second merchant.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to identify theapplicable offer based on a time of day.
 9. The system of claim 1,wherein the transaction line item data associated with the firsttransaction is received from a merchant computing system associated withthe first merchant location.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein thetransaction line item data associated with the first transaction isreceived from the wireless device.
 11. The system of claim 1, whereinthe processor is further configured to identify the applicable offerassociated with the second merchant redeemable in the secondtransaction, responsive to receiving, over the communication network viathe communications interface, a request from the wireless device.
 12. Awireless device, comprising: a communications interface configured totransmit, over a communication network to a remote computing system:transaction line item data associated with a first transaction completedat a first merchant location by a user associated with the wirelessdevice; and information indicating a current location of the wirelessdevice; wherein the communications interface is configured to receive,from the remote computing system, responsive to when a current locationof the wireless device is within a predetermined distance of at leastone merchant location of a second merchant, an applicable offerassociated with the second merchant determined from among a plurality ofoffers redeemable in a second transaction, the applicable offer beingdetermined based on a comparison of the plurality of offers with thetransaction line item data; and a display configured to present, whilethe wireless device is within the predetermined distance of the at leastone merchant location of the second merchant, an indication of theapplicable offer associated with the second merchant received from theremote computing system.
 13. The wireless device of claim 12, whereinthe transaction line item data includes at least one of an identifier ofgoods or services purchased in the first transaction or a merchantidentifier associated with the first merchant location.
 14. The wirelessdevice of claim 13, wherein the plurality of offers redeemable in thesecond transaction are coded with at least one of an identifier of goodsor services redeemable in the offer or a merchant identifier associatedwith the offer.
 15. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein theapplicable offer is determined based on at least one of (i) theidentifier of goods or services purchased in the first transaction or(ii) the merchant identifier associated with the first merchantlocation.
 16. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein a determinationthat the current location of the wireless device is within thepredetermined distance of the at least one merchant location of thesecond merchant is based on a wireless signal received by the wirelessdevice at the at least one merchant location of the second merchant. 17.The wireless device of claim 12, wherein a determination that thecurrent location of the wireless device is within the predetermineddistance of the at least one merchant location of the second merchant isbased on GPS data.
 18. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein adetermination that the current location of the wireless device is withinthe predetermined distance of the at least one merchant location of thesecond merchant is based on a lookup of merchants associated with thecurrent location of the wireless device.
 19. The wireless device ofclaim 12, wherein the communications interface is further configured toreceive the transaction line item data from a merchant computing systemassociated with the first merchant location, responsive to the usercompleting the first transaction at the first merchant location.
 20. Aremote offer system comprising, a communications interface configured toreceive over a communication network: transaction line item dataassociated with a first transaction completed at a first merchantlocation by a user associated with a wireless device; and informationindicating a current location of the wireless device; an offer databasestoring a plurality of offers coded with at least one of an identifierof goods or services redeemable in the offer or a merchant identifierassociated with the offer; and a processor configured to executeprogrammable instructions to: determine, responsive to receiving theinformation indicating the current location of the wireless device, thatthe current location of the wireless device is within a predetermineddistance of a merchant location of a second merchant; and identify,based on the transaction line item data and the current location of thewireless device, an applicable offer associated with the second merchantredeemable in a second transaction, by searching the offer database;wherein the communications interface is further configured to transmit,over the communication network, the applicable offer to the wirelessdevice within the predetermined distance.